Does anyone have any tips as to how to speed up breaking in a reed?

yeah. This might sound dirty, but it`s not meant to be. Go buy a bastard file at a local hardware store. Soak your reed in your mouth and then take three fingers, index, middle and second from pinky, and then space them out evenly and rub on file. Do the same thing the opposite way. Do this on a hard surface.

Only break in a reed fast if you really need to, for instance if you have a performance or audition in thirty minutes and you lost all your broken in reeds. If a reed is broken in fast, it will become unusable fast. Not a very good idea.